Editing Carnegie Mellon University (section)

== Discoveries and innovation ==
[[File:Unix history-simple.svg|thumb|Simplified evolution of [[Unix]] systems. The [[Mach (kernel)|Mach kernel]] was a fork from [[BSD]] 4.3 that led to [[NeXTSTEP]] / [[OPENSTEP]], upon which [[macOS]] and [[iOS]] is based.]]

=== Natural sciences ===
*[[Electron diffraction]] – [[Clinton Davisson]] won the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of electron diffraction in the famous [[Davisson–Germer experiment]], which confirmed the [[de Broglie hypothesis]] that particles of matter have a wave-like nature, which is a central tenet of [[quantum mechanics]]. In particular, their observation of diffraction allowed the first measurement of a [[wavelength]] for [[electrons]].
*[[Kevlar]] – Developed by [[Stephanie Kwolek]] at [[DuPont]] in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Kevlar has many applications, ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to bulletproof vests, all due to its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio; by this measure, it is five times stronger than steel.
*[[Spectroscopy]] – [[John L. Hall]] won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics with [[Theodor W. Hänsch]] and [[Roy J. Glauber]] for his pioneering work on laser-based precision spectroscopy and the optical [[frequency comb]] technique.
*[[Neutron scattering]] – [[Clifford G. Shull]] was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics with Canadian [[Bertram Brockhouse]] for their pioneering work in neutron scattering, a technique that reveals where atoms are within a material like ricocheting bullets reveal where obstacles are in the dark.

=== Computer and applied sciences ===
*[[Alice (software)]] – [[freeware]] (for non-commercial purposes) [[Object-based language|object-based]] [[educational programming language]] with an [[integrated development environment]] (IDE).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice/what_is_alice|title=Alice.org|access-date=January 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520063744/http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice%2Fwhat_is_alice|archive-date=May 20, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Andrew Project]] – [[distributed computing]] environment developed at Carnegie Mellon beginning in 1982. It was an ambitious project for its time and resulted in an unprecedentedly vast and accessible university computing infrastructure. The goal was to have connected [[3M computer]] workstations.<ref name="cmu_overview">[http://www.cmu.edu/corporate/news/2007/features/andrew/history_overview.shtml CMU's overview of the history of the Andrew Project] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717075926/http://www.cmu.edu/corporate/news/2007/features/andrew/history_overview.shtml |date=July 17, 2012 }}</ref>
*[[Artificial intelligence]] – Several of the first AI software programs were created at Carnegie Mellon. These include the [[Logic Theorist]], [[General Problem Solver]], and [[Soar (cognitive architecture)|Soar]].
*[[Autonomous vehicle]] – [[Navlab]], the first [[autonomous car]] program was developed by Carnegie Mellon. Since then, [[H1ghlander]] and [[Sandstorm (vehicle)|Sandstorm]] autonomous vehicles were developed at Carnegie Mellon and placed 3rd and 2nd in the [[DARPA Grand Challenge]] and Carnegie Mellon's Boss won the [[DARPA Grand Challenge (2007)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://university-discoveries.com/carnegie-mellon-university|title=University Discoveries |publisher=Carnegie Mellon University |access-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026080152/http://university-discoveries.com/carnegie-mellon-university|archive-date=October 26, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The university continues to be a leader in autonomous research and development.
*[[Dynamic random-access memory]] – In 1966, [[Robert H. Dennard]] invented the one-transistor memory cell consisting of a transistor and a capacitor for which a patent was issued in 1968. It became the basis for today's dynamic random-access memory (DRAM).
*[[MEMS]] – [[Harvey C. Nathanson]] invented the first MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) device of the type now found in products ranging from iPhones to automobiles. Typical MEMS devices include the accelerometers found in smartphones and video game controllers, and the gyroscopes used in automobiles and wearables.
*[[Xerox PARC]] – Founded in 1969 by [[George Pake]] and Jack Goldman, Xerox PARC has been at the heart of numerous revolutionary computer developments as laser printing, Ethernet, the modern personal computer, graphical user interface (GUI) and desktop paradigm, object-oriented programming, ubiquitous computing, electronic paper, amorphous silicon (a-Si) applications, the computer mouse, and advancing very-large-scale integration (VLSI) for semiconductors.
*[[BLISS]] – [[system programming language]] developed at Carnegie Mellon by [[W. A. Wulf]], [[D. B. Russell]], and [[A. N. Habermann]] around 1970. It was perhaps the best known systems programming language until [[C (programming language)|C]] made its debut in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cs.tufts.edu/~nr/cs257/archive/ronald-brender/bliss.pdf|title=The BLISS programming language: a history|access-date=August 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411212656/https://www.cs.tufts.edu/~nr/cs257/archive/ronald-brender/bliss.pdf|archive-date=April 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Emoticon]] – The first true emoticon was developed at Carnegie Mellon by [[Scott Fahlman]] in 1982. 
*[[Hashtag]] – In a 2007 tweet, [[Chris Messina (open-source advocate)|Chris Messina]] proposed vertical/associational grouping of messages, trends, and events on [[Twitter]] by the means of hashtags.
*[[Java (programming language)|Java]] – [[class-based]] [[object oriented]] programming language that was originally developed by [[James Gosling]] at [[Sun Microsystems]] (which has since been acquired by [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]]) and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. 
*[[Mach (kernel)]] – [[Richard Rashid]] and [[Avie Tevanian]] developed Mach at Carnegie Mellon from 1985 to 1994, ending with Mach 3.0, which is a true [[microkernel]]. Mach was developed as a replacement for the kernel in the [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] version of [[Unix]], so no new operating system would have to be designed around it. Experimental research on Mach appears to have ended, although Mach and its derivatives exist within a number of commercial operating systems.  These include [[NeXTSTEP]] and [[OPENSTEP]], upon which [[macOS]] and [[iOS]] are based.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6rjd2ZxE1vYC&pg=PT200|title=The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD Operating System|last1=McKusick|first1=Marshall Kirk|last2=Bostic|first2=Keith|last3=Karels|first3=Michael J.|last4=Quarterman|first4=John S.|date=April 30, 1996|publisher=[[Addison-Wesley]]|isbn=978-0-7686-8494-0|page=123|author-link1=Kirk McKusick|author-link2=Keith Bostic (software engineer)|author-link3=Michael J. Karels|author-link4=John Quarterman}}</ref>
*[[Wi-Fi]] network – Alex Hills created the first wi-fi network using a [[local area network]] (LAN) on the Carnegie Mellon campus in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popcitymedia.com/innovationnews/wifi100511.aspx|title=How Wi-Fi got its start on the campus of CMU, a true story|access-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202054801/http://www.popcitymedia.com/innovationnews/wifi100511.aspx|archive-date=December 2, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmu.edu/epp/people/faculty/alex-hills.html|title=Alex Hills-Engineering and Public Policy |publisher=Carnegie Mellon University|access-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026163407/http://www.cmu.edu/epp/people/faculty/alex-hills.html|archive-date=October 26, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Companies and entrepreneurship ===
[[Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship|The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship]] acts as Carnegie Mellon's [[startup accelerator]]. Jim Swartz, co-founder of [[Accel Partners]], pledged $31 Million to establish a hub for university wide entrepreneurial activities. His gift is the fifth largest Carnegie Mellon has received. In 2016, the center opened providing a [[business incubator]] and [[makerspace]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://archive.triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/shrewd-venture-capitalist-makes-31m-bet-on-carnegie-mellon/| title=Shrewd venture capitalist makes $31M bet on Carnegie Mellon| last=Lindstrom| first=Natasha| date=October 25, 2016| website=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]]| access-date=January 2, 2023| archive-date=January 2, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102232949/https://archive.triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/shrewd-venture-capitalist-makes-31m-bet-on-carnegie-mellon/| url-status=live}}</ref> The center employs [[Entrepreneur in residence|Entrepreneurs-in-Residence]] who mentor founders of early stage companies consisting of students, faculty, and alumni.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/28/how-cmu-is-helping-build-its-own-startups-and-keeping-them-in-pittsburgh/| title=How Carnegie Mellon is helping build its own startups and keeping them in Pittsburgh| last=Heater| first=Brian| date=June 28, 2021| website=[[TechCrunch]]| access-date=January 2, 2023| archive-date=January 2, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102232945/https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/28/how-cmu-is-helping-build-its-own-startups-and-keeping-them-in-pittsburgh/| url-status=live}}</ref> Startups work on their ideas throughout the year culminating at an annual Demo Day where they showcase their company to the public.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://technical.ly/startups/cmu-project-olympus-show-tell/| title=Why life sciences and big exits got the spotlight at CMU's 25th Project Olympus Show & Tell| last=Burkholder| first=Sophie| date=April 11, 2022| website=Technical.ly| access-date=January 2, 2023| archive-date=January 2, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102232950/https://technical.ly/startups/cmu-project-olympus-show-tell/| url-status=live}}</ref>

Carnegie Mellon's alumni, faculty, and staff have founded many notable companies, some of which are shown below.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmu.edu/corporate/pod/affiliated_companies.html|title=Affiliated Companies-Corporate and Institutional Partnerships |publisher=Carnegie Mellon University|access-date=November 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034951/https://www.cmu.edu/corporate/pod/affiliated_companies.html|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/about/notable/notable-alumni.pdf?no_cookie=1|title=CMU Alumni|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019062635/http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/about/notable/notable-alumni.pdf?no_cookie=1|archive-date=October 19, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

*[[Activision Blizzard]], 1979 (as [[Activision]]), founding CEO [[Jim Levy]] (B.S., M.S.)
*[[Adobe Systems]], 1982, co-founder [[Charles Geschke]] (Ph.D.)
*[[Sun Microsystems]], 1982, co-founders [[Vinod Khosla]] (M.S.) and [[Andy Bechtolsheim]] (M.S.)
*[[Accel Partners]], 1983, co-founder Jim Swartz (M.S.)
*[[NeXT]], 1985, co-founding VP Engineering [[Avie Tevanian]] (M.S., Ph.D.)
*[[Transarc]], 1989, co-founders [[Alfred Spector]] (Professor), [[Jeff Eppinger|Jeffrey Eppinger]] (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.), [[Michael L. Kazar|Mike Kazar]] (Ph.D.), Dean Thompson (B.S.)
*[[FORE Systems]], 1990, co-founders Francois Bitz (B.S., M.S.), Onat Menzilcioglu (M.S., Ph.D.), Robert Sansum (Ph.D.) and Eric C. Cooper (Professor)
*[[Microsoft Research]], 1991, founder [[Richard Rashid]] (Professor)
*[[IDEO]], 1991, founder [[David M. Kelley]] (B.S.)
*[[Appaloosa Management]], 1993, founder [[David Tepper]] (M.B.A)
*[[Red Hat]], 1993, co-founder [[Marc Ewing]] (B.S.)
*[[Cognizant]], 1994, co-founder [[Francisco D'Souza]] (M.B.A)
*[[Juniper Networks]], 1996, founder [[Pradeep Sindhu]] (Ph.D.)
*[[Symphony Technology Group]], 2002, founder [[Romesh Wadhwani]] (Ph.D.)
*[[Astrobotic Technology]], 2007, founder [[Red Whittaker]] (M.S., Ph.D., Professor)
*[[Google X]], 2010, co-founders [[Sebastian Thrun]] (Professor), [[Yoky Matsuoka]] (Professor), and [[Astro Teller]] (Ph.D.)
*[[Google Nest|Nest]], 2010, co-founder Matt Rogers (B.S., M.S.)
*[[Duolingo]], 2011, founders [[Luis von Ahn]] (Ph.D., Professor) & [[Severin Hacker]] (Ph.D.)
*[[Coursera]], 2012, founder [[Andrew Ng]] (B.S.)
*[[Defense Innovation Unit]], 2015, founder [[Maynard Holliday]] (B.S.)
*[[Argo AI]], 2016, co-founder Peter Rander (M.S., Ph.D.)
*[[Nuro]], 2016, co-founder Dave Ferguson (M.S., Ph.D.)
*[[Aurora Innovation]], 2017, co-founder [[Chris Urmson]] (Ph.D.)